Fighting the scourge of P

Business Need

Methamphetamine, locally referred to as ‘P’ for pure meth, is a billion-dollar illegal industry in New Zealand. A whole culture of home manufacture has grown up, with criminals using rental properties and motels to cook up lucrative batches of this highly addictive substance. Every time meth is manufactured it leaves toxic chemical residues throughout the property. Decontamination costs tens of thousands of dollars whenever an illegal meth lab is detected and busted. Quite apart from the horrendous risks to health, this is very bad news to owners and managers of rental properties. Insurance may be no help, as many policies rule out damage from criminal activities. Landlords have a legal responsibility to make their properties safe, and a toxic meth lab is the last thing they want to deal with.

The solution

MethMinder is a unique detection and monitoring system, developed and manufactured by a team of innovative New Zealanders. Their clever device enables property owners to remotely monitor the presence of chemicals produced during meth manufacture in any property where the device is installed. To enable real-time monitoring, MethMinder uses Vodafone’s two-way GPRS data transfer technology. Connectivity is built into the box, which runs on a long life battery so it’s completely independent from outside power sources and communications wires. The system is monitored 24/7 by MethMinder, and any trace of meth chemicals within the property results in an instant alert. The box is tamper-proof and acts as a highly visible deterrent to anyone considering setting up a meth lab. Two-way machine-to-machine technology is absolutely central to MethMinder’s success. Provided by Vodafone and integrated into the solution, machine-to-machine technology provides landlords and property managers with the assurance that someone is monitoring the state of their properties at all times.

Customer benefits

Clever solution to a multi-million dollar problem
MethMinder’s world-first combination of chemical detection and remote monitoring allows landlords to avoid the massive bills and legal headaches resulting from illicit use of their properties for meth manufacture.

Cost-effective solution
Vodafone’s machine-to-machine capability is easily integrated into systems such as MethMinder, allowing businesses to develop bespoke solutions to their issues. In the case of MethMinder, it allows the huge but fragmented property management industry to offer landlords a high level of protection from the ruinous consequences of meth manufacture.